DB – Chapter 22

Specter Knight

Until now, the labyrinth had a level of light that they could see clearly with. However, the soil walls of the seventh floor only had minimal lit torches here and there.
Something seemed to be lurking in the darkness.
“It looks like ghosts showed up after all. Though, these aren’t my strong point.”
The one to speak with a cheerful tone was Maal.
“Maal, by some chance are you able to see somewhat in the dark?”
She nodded at Ria’s question.
“Most beastkin can.”
Indeed, she was a Neko-san.
“Mud walls, huh? If we knew where the center was, it would be nice to break them…”
Though Ria said it seriously as usual, the two magicians seriously stopped her.
The main monsters on this floor were undead and some could pass through walls. It wasn’t so bad when the enemy could only attack from the front and the rear, but if they came from all directions at once it would naturally have been hard for them to cope with.

The exploration was difficult.
The skeletons were fine. They were just mere skeletons. Aiming to sell off the equipment of well-equipped skeletons, they welcomed it. As expected, skeletal knights roaming the floor not as a floor guardian but as a normal appearance was harsh. Even so, they were only so strong.
The zombies were also fine. Moving corpses were gross, but they were pretty weak. Some of them were excessively strong and clever, but still stopped after their heads were crushed. There were also abnormal conditions like poison and the like, but they could be cured with healing magic.
It was gross collecting magic stones from the undead. Though there was a mental problem with it being disgusting, thanks to the Goblin Bludgeoning Demon Ria-sama, the other members’ loads weren’t that much.

The problem was the ghosts.

So that their physical attacks could be effective towards them, they imbued magic on everyone’s weapons the previous night.
But regarding their means of defending against the ghosts’, they were limited.
Using magic to create barriers was the normal way to prevent it. However, when exploring for a long time, it was impossible to keep defensive magic up constantly.
“I’m getting kinda fired up.”
Ria, who was calm while being surrounded by ghosts, was the exception. The vanguard warriors were used to pain, but this was exhausting.

The ghosts’ attacks stole endurance and magical power from being touched directly. Giving dizziness and lightheadedness, the sudden attacks were dreadful as armor couldn’t defend against them.

Ria, who had an abundance of abnormal condition resistances, was hardly affected with her magic and willpower.
It didn’t feel real since the ghosts were like 3D CG. At best, they gave her goosebumps.

Probably due to her race, Lulu was strong against the ghosts’ attacks. Maal made use of her senses, quickly avoiding direct contact.

Taking a short rest, the group took out a map. From the way things had went so far, the guardian’s room must be in the center. Though there were a lot of blank areas, they didn’t have the time to fill it out.
“We’ll cut through in one go. The longer we spend here, the greater our exhaustion will be.”
Motivated with Ria’s rough words, the group dove towards the guardian.

They were in a room with a high ceiling and cold air reminiscent of catacombs.
Lined with intricately carved pillars, it gave the feeling of elegance.
Standing in the middle was a knight dressed in elaborately ornate armor. Its hand held a long sword, its face covered and hidden with a visor.
It was tall, but after becoming accustomed to seeing minotaurs and golems, it didn’t feel like it.
However, it held a different atmosphere.

A specter knight.

This was the place the Ogre King said he first lost a comrade.

“Spread out!”
The four, Maal included, spread out like bullets, surrounding the specter knight.
They didn’t have time to spare. If the person didn’t have resistance against it, just being there sapped their vitality. That was the specter knight’s ability.

The specter knight’s focus turned towards the largest figure, Gig.
Its gaze was harmful. Gig held his chest, stumbling forward and crouching down.

Moreover, without wielding its sword, it pointed towards Carlos with its left hand.
“Ugu-”
Losing the feeling in his left arm, Carlos lost balance of the weight of his shield.

“Eyaaaah!”
Ria attacked, swinging her katana downward. The specter knight received the blow with his long sword. It would have broken the blade if it were poor quality, but the sword seemed to be a cursed sword.
It parried the katana attack skillfully. Its skill in combat itself was also high.

Maal fired an arrow from behind, piercing its armor. However, it didn’t appear to damage it at all.

Gig, healed by Lulu’s magic, swung his warhammer downwards, but it dodged magnificently, repaying him with an attack to the side.
“Gah…”
Fresh blood splattered. Simultaneously, Gig felt his vitality being snatched.

But at that moment, Ria did not overlook the small chance that had opened up.
She attacked with an upward diagonal slice, and though the specter knight parried with his sword, it couldn’t completely kill the momentum. The attack sent its helmet flying. [1]

There was, of course, the skull of a skeleton.
The helmet fell to the ground and disappeared into fog, returning to its original position on the specter’s head.
The arrow Maal hit with had also corroded, falling to the ground as the crack in the armor regenerated.

Though Maal had hit with another arrow, they had no answer to their current circumstances.
“Ria-chan, everything probably won’t affect this guy if it isn’t holy magic!”
Maal exclaimed in a crying voice.
A scout, vanguards, and Ria balanced the party by being in the rear guard, but it wasn’t flawless. They had no one that could use the main countermeasure against, holy magic.
Though Rufus had done detailed investigations into most fields of magic, holy magic originates from power based on praying to god. The temple did not hand out control of it. Ria and Lulu as well, as those that could be called his disciples, they had no knowledge of it.
“It’s alright! We just can’t see the damage that’s gone through!”
Serge shouted. He had the ability to see the other party’s vitality. Though in this case, it was more like negative vitality.

“If that’s how it is, we’ll just shave it down.”
Ria stored her katana, taking out a warhammer for each hand. The opponent used a cursed sword, so she judged that she would whittle down the blade.
Gig started returning attacks. Ria circled behind to attack, giving the specter knight no room to dodge.
Lulu’s magic had also dispelled Carlos’ arm, it became a three person attack.
When Carlos and Gig became unable to move from the specter knight’s attacks, Lulu would heal them immediately.
Serge launched offensive magics to give an opening.

Surprisingly, the final blow was from one of Maal’s arrows.

*

The specter knight fell, its contents turning into ashes.
Leaving behind its weapon and armor, there was a magic crystal inside.

“It isn’t cursed. It’s armor is imbued with an auto repair function, same with its sword, as well as having the ability to steal endurance from those it cuts.”
After Serge used Identify, Ria took great interest in the sword and picked it up.
“If only it were a katana… Even if the armor doesn’t fit, does Carlos want to use the sword?”
“Eh, is that fine?”
Since the long sword had a weight that could be used with one hand, it would be just right for Carlos. She thought that, but there was a problem when he actually swung it.
“Until this exploration ends, I’ll use my old sword for now. After all, my hand isn’t used to that.”
Though the sword he was using now was also new, it’s things like length and balance were chosen carefully. If there were slight incompatibilities in combat, it could easily be fatal.
Though Ria could use swords of any length, she wouldn’t use it in actual combat without tring it out several times first.
“Then Serge, store this. After we get to the next floor we’ll take a break.”

Even though the specter knight was defeated, it wouldn’t feel like a rest in a place like a cemetery.
As Lulu treated their abnormal conditions, drinking magic recovery potions, the group set foot in the eighth floor.

Footnotes:

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